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Artificial Asperger’s

Sportster

Sportster

Aged to Perfection
V.I.P Member
Many of you have read more books on the subject of Asperger’s than I ever will, so perhaps someone has heard this. Not long ago someone made the comment to me about the possibility that one could be “made an Aspie” by their upbringing, cultural environment, etc. That is to say, if one is raised in a certain way from birth in a certain cultural environment that is consistent with the characteristics of Asperger’s, then one could have all the manifestations of AS without actually being an Aspie. Has anyone heard of this? If so, what are your views on the subject?
 
I've thought about it, though never heard or read about this. I believe that this is true and I wonder if this could be like me.
 
This is actually an area that's been interesting me for some time.

I haven't found much, but a few articles where people mostly speak of experiences, but I know of a few people in my life, who do lead me to believe that there is some truth to this.

It's not so much that they can have Asperger's, but as AS is a neurological condition, which affects how we think, it's not outrageous to believe that NTs can learn to adapt to our ways; just as we can to theirs; mimics, if you will. What's more, they learn to seek out other Aspies for company, just as we do.

I have a sister, and a very close friend; both who seem very Aspie, but do no quite think the same deep down; only on the surface. Both have grown up with others on the spectrum; my sister even has an Aspie boyfriend. It's actually quite interesting, but I've found that NTs who are AS inclined are easier to get along with. It's like meeting one another in the middle; bridging that gap, so that we can understand one another.

I would like to learn more, if I could.
 
What's probably related to this is the entire notion of; what if you're raised under optimal AS conditions and suddenly end up being catapulted into a less optimal setting.

That probably applies to me for a big part. I do believe I'm on the spectrum, but because I was living in my own mancave for pretty much all my life (and I still am) my AS traits aren't prevalent enough. It's when I have to get out of this mancave where my AS is noticeable to the extreme.

Though if I look back at this and think about these circumstances I live(d) in, it's not that far fetched that people would develop certain characteristics that might border on AS. If you're rarely exposed to loud noises or bright lights, it can easily create a sensory disorder at some point. And I think if you're not overly social in general, eventually you'll lose social skills up to a point where it turns into anxiety and such.

However, I think some issues, though those might be more related to non-verbal learning disorder traits, don't really "grow" on someone up to the point where someone might be a "aspie in sheeps clothing". That's the explicit neurological part... I think plenty of AS traits aren't necessarily neurological, but just stem from the complexities and interpretation of our neurodiversity.
 
Tony Atwood said something similar when he once talked about NT family members of AS people sometime developing similar traits to that of their Aspie family member.
 
Sportster said:
Many of you have read more books on the subject of Asperger’s than I ever will, so perhaps someone has heard this. Not long ago someone made the comment to me about the possibility that one could be “made an Aspie” by their upbringing, cultural environment, etc. That is to say, if one is raised in a certain way from birth in a certain cultural environment that is consistent with the characteristics of Asperger’s, then one could have all the manifestations of AS without actually being an Aspie. Has anyone heard of this? If so, what are your views on the subject?
Click to expand...
I do not believe that a person can be "Made" an Aspie, or Bi Polar, or NT. It seems that common sense would lead us to the conclusion that like most other things, children will learn characteristics from their parents (and others in their scope of influence) weather they are Aspie or NT, or anything else. It is how humans develop. My two daughters are a good example. Having been raised by me, they do display some characteristics of Aspergers, but It does not at all seem like they are. Also, until we know what causes Aspergers, or any other condition for that matter, none of us can say for sure, only guess.
 
It's not all "bad" being an aspie - here's an interesting article I've just found that tries to teach NT's how to "focus" properly. Something us aspies take for granted. I find it interesting to think other people just can't do this naturally. Makes me glad I am who I am!

How to Experience “Flow” | Thrive

ps:- I dont think it's "bad" being an aspie at all. If I were given the choice of being NT and not being able to hyper focus, I would stick with me the way I am thank you very much! It's about time we were recognised as having superior skills in some areas. Life isn't just about chatting in groups and being "social" (yuck!!) :)
 
Excellent question. I would say yes...though I haven't read a lot of books on Autism. Still I like the question you brought up. Makes sense to me...my son has been isolated in the extreme by his mom.
 
I definitely think that the characteristics of AS can show up in NTs personalities due to environmental factors. Unfortunately, though, if we are considering traits such as being shut-down emotionally, being resistant to others' expressed needs and desires, zoning-out, isolating and being oblivious to time-constraints this is not always such a good thing. These traits can be extremely hurtful to others.
So, the question regarding environmental factors for triggering AS traits can be answered by asking has the Aspie- appearing person been the victim of childhood abuse. Since some of the Aspie traits can mimic defensive/adaptive behaviors it is possible that some NTs with Aspie traits were victims of childhood abuse and that is why they are shut-down emotionally, seem to zone-out, etc.
I have an acquaintance with this traits and they may not be on the AS, but, I am convinced they were severely abused as a child. Smart as hell, but totally incapable of having a two-way friendship, sad to say.
 
I wouldn't necessarily call the psychological damage caused by abuse point-for-point the same as ASD, because the victims may not be atypically wired the same way we are, so I think it's rather misleading to call it "artificial Asperger's." The list of commonalities between us is probably rather small. But I can understand why the comparison has been made.
 
I'm not on the fence with this question and will say no...after surviving TBI I have really studied the brain and discovered autism...I am self-diagnosed,but will have difficulty getting a diagnosis from "professionals" as a result of my brain damage...too many parts of the puzzle are in place and there are autistic traits running rampant in my family...I am a full-on visual thinker myself and never thought it was out of the norm until further studies proved me mistaken...
 
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